Sonah’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to scream as the blade came down. The look of confusion on the man’s face when it bounced off her gave her a chance to recover. Sonah jammed her knee into his groin and rolled away as he tipped over.
Swallowing against the painful tightening of her throat, Sonah slipped in the mud and bit her tongue, her elbow smacking the ground. As she rose, blood dripped from her mouth and she blinked at the carnage around them. Looking up, she saw Bethana, a vortex of water funneled around the soldiers near her, sweeping them up and cutting off their cries.
Someone shouted her name, and Sonah looked up to see Leander’s terrified expression, his face contorted as he fought, motioning at something behind her.
Sonah turned as Duke Ovenno came through a crowd of soldiers fighting Melanos and the Spartans. The duke’s face was speckled with blood and dirt, snarling at her as he advanced.
“Finally,” Duke Ovenno seethed, his nostrils flaring as he stalked her. Backing away, Sonah looked around for help. Melanos and Leander were locked in their own battles with Bethana, Fane and the Spartans nowhere in sight.
“I’ve had to trek across this fucking continent to find you. Because of you, I’ve been humiliated and threatened by Emperor Solon, my daughter held captive in his court, and my wifethreatened with beheading! But I will redeem myself when I deliver you to him.”
Sonah gaped at the duke, whose face was twisted and blotched with a red so deep she thought he might be possessed by the demons of the underworld.
“I will not go easily,” Sonah said, cursing her shaky voice as she backed away.
“Oh, you think this will be easy? You are an ignorant child, always have been. I knew Altos would do something to stop me from bringing you back. He insisted he didn’t know you’d gone, but I know it was all part of his plan. So I had my own men searching for you. I’ve been onto you since Ibros.”
Sonah swallowed. “If that were true, you’d plenty of chances to capture me.”
“I would’ve if it weren’t for the fucking wolves.” Ovenno stopped and held out his arms, his sword catching the sunlight. The smile on his thin lips made Sonah shiver. “They seem to have abandoned you at last.”
He sprang forward, taking Sonah by surprise. His hand clamped around her wrist and, with the back of his sword hand, struck her across the face.
Sonah stumbled and would’ve fallen if not for the duke’s hold on her. Stars burst behind her eyes and her cheek flared with heat. Blood pooled in her mouth from where her teeth bit into her cheek and she gagged.
Duke Ovenno dragged her away, shouting orders at his men as they continued to fight off Melanos and the others. Sonah’s face throbbed, and tears flowed freely as she trudged behind him, senseless.
When she regained her faculties, Sonah screamed, swinging her free arm, clawing at the duke’s hand, her nails sinking in deep. The gouges were long and jagged, and she smiled like a maniac when he roared, letting her go.
Sonah fell with a grunt. Scrambling to her feet, she slipped and crawled along the ground, panting as she tried to scream, hoping the power would be strong enough to level every man there.
It didn’t work. Her scream was only a scream and she whimpered as she staggered toward Leander.
Duke Ovenno caught up easily, grabbing her scalp and yanking her back. Sonah cried out when her butt hit the ground, the collision sending razor-sharp pain shooting up her spine. The duke rounded to her front, glaring down at her. Sonah’s pulse hammered in her ears so she could not hear whatever he was shouting at her, spittle forming at the corners of his lips. She could do nothing but stare up at him, terrified.
Before she could register the sword in his hand, he raised it and stabbed it toward her belly.
As before with the other soldier, the sword bounced back, and Duke Ovenno grunted in surprise. Sonah snatched her dagger from its sheath and sprang to her feet. The duke tried stepping back, but Sonah screamed and swung her arm, slamming the blade into the base of his neck.
Duke Ovenno’s eyes widened, blinking twice as he brought his hand to his neck to clutch at the wound.
Sonah watched in horrified awe as blood poured through the duke’s fingers. Her breath swirled in the air as he dropped to his knees, dead at her feet.
“You should eat, Sonah,”Bethana said softly, pushing the bowl of stew a few inches closer to Sonah.
They sat inside a tavern after riding away from Duke Ovenno’s ambush. They’d lost Triodos in the fight, and Fane had taken turns with Leventis and Yianni leading his horse with his body draped across the animal’s back.
Sonah had been numb, staring vacantly at the horizon while leaving her mount to navigate behind the others. Hours later, Melanos had called a halt when they spotted a small village, and they found their way to the tavern for food and rest.
The place was loud, with laughter punching through the conversations around them, making Sonah hunch further into herself. The others remained quiet and she was thankful for it.
“Maybe she just needs some air,” Melanos murmured, pulling Bethana’s seat closer to his side. Sonah lifted her eyes, watching as the nymph laid her head on the god’s shoulder, her eyes trained on Sonah.
“That’s a good idea,” Sonah mumbled. Pushing her chair out, she made to stand when Leander rose beside her.
“Let her be,” Bethana said. Sonah did not look at Leander to see if he’d listen, but she hoped he would.
She wanted to be alone.
